


Breathe

by clintbartonswife



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avenger Reader (Marvel), Dr Helen Cho (mentioned), F/M, Major Character Injury, Post-Break Up, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 00:37:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21419311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clintbartonswife/pseuds/clintbartonswife
Summary: “Come on babygirl - breathe for me. Please breathe”Orthe time Steve almost lost you for good
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

The mission debrief was simple. Get in, get the files, get out. Kill some motherfuckers along the way. We had the floor plans, the number of workers and the times of patrols. An easy job. Of course no one was denying that the enemy weren’t tough, in fact the whole Avengers Unit had been chosen to go, even Banner would wait in the jet and would almost inevitably be called out in a code green. HYDRA was still a large threat, and no matter how prepared Tony insisted we were, you weren’t convinced.  
You went anyway, it was of course a good distraction. A punching bag only released so much anger and you were more than happy taking out some repressed fury on some Natzis. The cause of your rage? Steve fucking Rogers. 

_The first time you saw Steve Rogers was at one of Tony’s parties. He was sulking in the corner with Sam as you walked in, trying to segregate himself from the rest of the somewhat boisterous crowd. _  
You watched him throughout the night, picking up on small details, like how he tapped a tune on his glass when he was distracted. Or like how he plastered on a fake smile when another person came over to talk to him. You also noticed that he still seemed tense, still in fighting mode, as if anything could attack him at any given moment. The mark of a soldier.  
You didn’t actually meet him until he was introduced to you. Natasha, the reason you were at the party in the first place, had insisted on introducing you to the rest of the Avengers before hastily grabbing your arm and pulling you away from the open bar and over to the two men you had been watching all night.  
“(Y/N) this is Steve and Sam. Sam and Steve this is my old friend I was telling you about”  
“Nice to meet you” I smiled, offering each man a handshake, and returning a polite hello in return.  
It wasn’t until a few months of flirting later, when you had joined the team, that Steve made his move. It was around noon when you stepped into the gym, noticing Steve hammering the punching bag, sweat cascading down his body. Eyes slightly widening, you turned to leave, only to be stopped by his voice.  
“Don’t leave on my account, doll”  
“I - I wasn’t -“ you stammered, slightly embarassed by getting caught. Clearing your throat slightly, you regained your composure before meeting his eyes, “I just didn’t think you’d want me watching the gun show”  
An amused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched you carefully, crossing his arms over his chest as he surveyed you.  
“You can watch all you want, a pretty dame like you? I’d be honoured” 

Your throat constricted as you relived the beginning of your relationship with Steve. He had asked you to dinner the next night, swiftly bedding you within a week. It was fast but it had just felt so right, at the time you couldn’t be happier.  
As your vision filled with blue, your brain floated to the argument three days before. 

_“What do you want from me?” Steve thundered, “you’re being impossible!”_  
“Are you joking?” You spat, equally as riled up, “you keep treating me like a child! I can handle my own bloody problems Steve! You don’t have to fix everything and then make me feel entitled to thank you for it”  
“You’re not responsible enough! If you can’t handle a simple mission then how the hell am I supposed to be able to see a future with you. I can’t even imagine us getting married, let alone have kids”  
You hadn’t expected that. Not ever. Not from him. Stumbling back slightly, your hand blindly searched for the door handle, eyes still locked onto the man in front of you. Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes but you silently willed yourself to stay strong, clearing your throat.  
“Then by all means, don’t let me stop you from your future, Steve” you sneered, opening the door, “I hope you find someone that you deserve. I saw you making eyes at that Sharon girl, you’d make a great fucking couple”  
You hadn’t spoken to him since then, hurt and alone you had withdrawn from the group, missing out on the ‘family’ dinners. No one seemed to notice your absence, meaning you happily stayed in your room, safe from the outside world and the confrontation it brings.   
Until now. 

Coming back to your senses, you realised you were staring up at the sky, which was odd considering you were pretty sure you had just been fighting with some HYDRA goons only seconds before. First red flag.  
“Fuck - (Y/N)”  
Your brain foggily registered Nat’s voice ring out somewhere to your left, sounding distant and muffled over the ringing that had filled your ears.  
“I need backup! (Y/N)’s down - yes I’m trying to get to her - BACKUP NOW STARK”  
She sounded frantic. Natasha was never frantic. Her panic seemed to seep into you, your body desperate to move. That was the second red flag.  
As if your brain had just been rebooted, your eyes widened as you tried to look around you, straining your eyes to the side to see your earpiece lying shattered on the floor.  
“Hey, hey look at me”  
A different voice came from above you, your eyes moving to identify the person. Tony looked panicked as he stared down at you, a sense of foreboding in his eyes.  
“You’re gonna be okay. Just fine-“ he rambled, flirting around you nervously, “keep your eyes open for me honey, come on now, eyes open”  
You didn’t even realise them closing, unconsciousness finally grasping you as you fell into darkness. 

Steve was too late.  
Whacking the final guy over the head with his shield, Steve ran outside to assist Nat, his eyes scanning the ground to find you. He saw Tony first, Natasha stood by him with her hand on his shoulder. Comforting.  
“No”  
Steve strode over, pushing the two out of the way until he loomed over your body. His eyes immediately drawn to the weeping scarlet hole in the middle of your stomach.  
“No”  
He collapsed to his knees, shaking hands reaching up to cup your cheek only to be jerked away as if your skin was on fire.  
“No, no, no, no. Come on babygirl” he whispered, moving his hands to your chest, noticing the bandage haphazardly wrapped around to try and stem the blood flow.  
He started compressions on your chest, his eyes watching your closed ones as he did so.  
“Come on babygirl - breathe for me. Please breathe”  
“Steve-“  
“NO! She’s going to be fine - she just needs to _breathe_!” He shouted, tears filling his eyes as he continued CPR, your body unresponsive.  
“Steve” Natasha insisted, her hands moving to his shoulders, pulling him back slightly, “Steve she’s gone”  
“No!” Steve fought half-heartedly against her hold, crumpling into himself as he finally realised the truth, “no”  
“She died thinking I hated her”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce to the rescue

“Why did you stop!?”  
Steve’s head whipped around, spotting Bruce hobbling over with a medical kit, his messy appearance proving he had just ‘calmed down’.  
“Dont stop CPR! She’s probably gone into shock!”  
Steve stood frozen as Nat leapt forward, immediately restarting compressions whilst swearing strongly in Russian. Tony rushed over to Bruce, slinging his arm around his shoulders to help him walk quicker. Watching with tear-blurred vision as they crowded around your body, it took everything in him to stay standing. After a quick scuffle, Steve heard the words that sent him crumbling to the ground.  
“Shit Nat dont stop, theres a pulse - barely - but its there”  
“Слава Богу” Nat whispered, “when do I know to stop?”  
“When she shows signs of consciousness, if you’re getting tired Tony can step in-”  
“no. I’m doing this” she said sternly, her eyes locked on to her hands as she continued CPR.  
“We need to try and get her back to the jet - Steve? Steve!”  
Bruce’s harsh voice cut through Steve’s stupor, the super soldier turning his attention to the doctor.  
“I need you to get the stretcher from the jet”  
“yea - I can do that” he nodded, sprinting over to the jet, his legs moving as fast as they could carry him.   
As soon as he was gone, Bruce ripped the bottom half of your tshirt off to try and get a better visual on the wound.  
“Holy fuck” Tony gasped, staring at the gaping hole going through your stomach, “exit wound?”  
Bruce just nodded, as he began to stuff the hole with sterile mesh.  
“Whats that for?”  
“To try and stop the blood until we can get her back to Dr Cho” Bruce said, his eyes darting around every now and then, “where the hell is Steve”  
Tony made a quick call to the doctor, making sure she’d be there ready for when they got back.  
Steve returned a few moments later, stretcher tucked under his arm.  
“We need to get her on there without banging her around too much”  
“let me” Steve said shakily, kneeling by your side.  
“Okay Nat stop compressions when I tell you to, you’ve got to move her immediately Steve. When she’s on Nat will have to get on as well so you can continue compressions. Everyone else will have to help lift and carry the stretcher back to the jet. 3, 2, 1″  
Steve’s arms wrapped gently around your body as he carefully moved you onto the stretcher, everyone following instructions, and soon enough you had been placed down in the quinjet.  
Bruce immediately sprang back into action, plugging your body into all the machines available, moving around Natasha who was still steadily pressing down on your chest. Tony lead Steve away to the front of the quinjet, trying to console the soldier as they went.   
“Nat stop”   
The Russian looked at him in confusion, swiftly moving her hands away.  
“Her eyes fluttered. She’s coming back into consciousness”

You could feel pain, mind-numbing pain, emitting from your stomach as you came to. A small groan escaped your lips as you moved to stretch, your body jolting at the burst of pain from the miniscule action.  
“Fuck me” you whined, squinting your eyes at the bright light above you, “am I dead yet? This bloody hurts”  
“сука! Dont do that again!”  
you quirked a brow at the redhead in front of you, “I'm sorry Nat. I’ll really _try_ not to get shot next time. I thought it would be fun”  
She just rolled her watery eyes, a small smile taking hold of her lips.   
“I think she’s fine Bruce” Nat laughed, “her humours back for sure”  
You turned your head to look at Bruce, reaching towards him with your hand. He understood, holding your hand tightly.   
“Thanks Bruce”  
“No problem”  
“Hey Nat?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Don’t tell Clint about this”  
“Wha- you’re thinking about this now? You were almost killed and your seriously worried about a bet!?”  
“Hey! He won last time and there’s no way in hell im gonna give him the satisfaction of winning again. Besides, he gets shot all the time! You’ll probably only have to wait a few days”  
As the two of you bickered, Bruce slipped away, approaching Steve and Tony with a small smile.  
“Is she awake? Bruce?”   
Steve was desperate, his eyes wild as he grabbed the doctor’s arms, “is she okay?!”  
“She’ll be fine as long as we get to Cho quickly, the main thing is that she’s breathing on her own and her heart beat seems steady”  
Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Steve nodded his head in thanks before storming to the back of the quinjet where you lay on the gurney, Natasha making a hasty exit.

“You almost died -”  
“Hey Cap -”  
The two of you spoke at the same time, your tone significantly lighter than his.  
“This isn’t a joke (y/n)! I thought - I thought you had died and I -”  
Eyebrows pulling together in a frown, you rested your hand over his gently, avoiding his eyes as he looked at you in shock. The two of you hadn’t touched since … then.  
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily Cap”  
“Its Steve” he mumbled, almost incoherently, hating the way the title sounded so impersonal on your lips, “you always call me Steve”  
“I didn’t think I had the right to anymore, what with you with Sharon now. That makes you my mission _Captain_. Nothing more” you spat out bitterly, pulling your hand back and wincing at the pain the slight movement caused you.  
“That’s not fair -”  
“Isn’t it? Youre _Captain Fucking America_. You get to keep the team, I’ve tried to back away and let you have your space, I really have. Not that anyone seemed to notice” you chuckled mirthlessly, “I’m not stupid enough to believe that what we had would’ve lasted Cap. In the end, youre a national treasure - you could get anyone you want - and I’m just me. It was only a matter of time til you got bored, guess it was just quicker than I had hoped”  
“Could you shut up for one second! I overreacted that night! I admit what I said was wrong but I can assure you that there’s nothing going on between me and Sharon and there never will be even if I tried because I cant fucking get you out of my head!”  
The silence that fell was deafening, air thick with tension.  
“I could never get bored of you” Steve eventually sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “I know I said horrible things but I didn’t mean them - I know that doesn’t stand for much, but … Look. I love you (y/n) and I don’t think I’ll ever stop”  
With that he stood up and walked away to the front of the quinjet without a second glance, leaving you with a racing heart and watering eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Слава Богу = thank god сука! = bitch


End file.
